The roar of the crowd, the bright lights, the look of the court and the feel of it under your feet, the sound of nets crashing with every shot. Peyton Simpson, a senior, is ready for another basketball season.
Basketball has always been important for Simpson, who started to get into the sport when she was just in the second grade. She was inspired to play when she would see her cousins play the game, and when given a new basketball and hoop for Christmas, this only inspired her more to try it out. Not only that but her younger siblings like to play basketball too, so she can shoot hoops with them whenever they want to mess around or train.
Simpson is very confident in her team. Even when her team lost some senior players she still feels confident in her team. With the help of a new addition, Sydney Huber on the team things could go well for them. Simpson also feels linked well with her teammates as she has played with some for a while and knows how to work with them. Team chemistry isn’t really an issue which is a good sign for the team this year.
Simpson’s position for the team is shooting guard and she likes it. “I can do my own thing on the court while also helping out my team,” Simpson said. She is able to do her own thing and cook up defenders while always being helpful to her teammates and make big plays happen. One thing Simpson loves about basketball is the competitiveness there is in it. Which brings out the thing she hates the most about basketball. The losing part. As much as Simpson trains and puts it all on the court, sometimes the team loses.
One of Simpson’s most memorable moments was when she was in freshman year and was playing against Maquoketa Valley. In this game it was a varsity match, Simpson was playing starter and during the game she hit one three for deep, feeling good next possession she was given the ball and trusting in her shooting she shot the ball for a deep three again. Nailed it right in. Next possession she was given the ball and you think the defenders will learn. But no, she nailed another three from deep. Three for three 3-pointers in the span of three possessions. She remembers that game because it was a very nice sequence and the game was one of the first in the season.
Moments like this are what Simpson loves and why she hopes to continue her career after high school. Right now she is keeping her choices open. Simpson is always ready for the high school basketball season as she plays with a club team during the offseason, so she will never be caught lacking.
